˖ ݁♬⋆.˚𝄞.

you let out a shaky breath that you didn't realize you were holding.

jiho looked at you briefly and smiled.

now three more.

with the start of another round, a switch must've flipped in brian. he started moving like a snake, jabs biting jiho's body one by one. your throat went dry with each punch your fiancé received.

when jiho fell flat to the ground, you looked away for a split second, unable to watch how his face twisted in pain. your nails dug into the palms of your hands, leaving crescent moons as an insignia of your anxiety.

you didn't care if jiho won or not; well, sure, you loved celebrating his wins with him and seeing how satisfied he was when all those hours put into training finally bore fruit. but you despised the physical pain that came with it, no matter the score.

the round came to an end. you searched for jiho's eyes, wanting to show him that it was okay.

but he turned his toned back, facing away from you.

he was visibly shaken by the sudden change of score and it got to his head. the next two rounds were a total fiasco, bruises and blood blooming on his body like splotches of paint on plain canvas. he was still trying, fighting aggressively. but emotions took over, he wasn't thinking strategically and brain seemed to take advantage of that.

your sight became blurry, heart aching with pain.

when the judge announced the winner - brian - jiho glued his gaze to the floor. blood trickling down his chin, head hanging low. in embarrassment.

jiho left the rink, boos echoing in your ears. you caught a glimps of brian swirling someone in his arms, all cheerful.

"y/n, wait in the car" jiho mumbled coldly, quickly disappearing with hwiyoung in the locker room.

hwiyoung decided to give you two a lift and the whole ride home was silent. even after you arrived, hwiyoung asked you to go home while he chatted with jiho.

it took them a while. you managed to make the bed and prepare a light meal for jiho to eat. you could swear you heard them arguing and your assumptions were confirmed when jiho came back, slamming the door.

"ji…" you started.

"i'm going to take another shower" he grunted and before you could reply, he was gone. you walked up to the bathroom door.

"hey, ji… i made you food. take as long as you need and then we'll talk, okay?" you asked quietly.

on the other side of the door jiho was fighting tears, fingers digging into his wrist.

"if you need anything just… i'm here, okay?" your voice was weak, filled with worry.

just when you turned away, the door opened and you felt a sharp pull on your wrist. jiho spun you around, hands wrapping around your back. his head dug into your neck, his whole body shaking.

he has never held you so tight before, as if scared that you will run away.

"jiho, baby" you hummed, softly hugging him back. he took a long, shaky breath. "it's nothing—"

you felt his body tense. you stopped speaking when you felt him slip away. his brown eyes pierced yours, cut bottom lip shaking.

"nothing? i just lost a championship to some… fuckass newbie!" he grunted, his adam's apple bobbing.

"sometimes you have to lose to learn from your mistakes. it's a bitter lesson but it's better to learn it now than later, jiho" you spoke softly, reaching for his hand.

he allowed you to grab it, not pulling away.

"it's… it's not about that. well, it is but—" he let out a frustrated sigh, his other hand running through his hair.

"no matter the score, you tried. you trained, you kept fighting. you already won in my heart—"

"don't say that!" jiho growled and turned away, angrily walking around the room.

"what? jiho, you surely don't think that i would leave you after one lost championship?" you choked out, shocked.

the silence was your answer.

jiho sat down on the bed, hiding his head in his hands. his arms were ever so slightly shaking and for a minute you just stood there, unsure what to do.

"jiho…" you whispered, carefully walking up to him. sure, you fought a couple of times before but this was different. this was jiho bearing his most vulnerable self to you.

when you were close enough, he hesitantly wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you to stand between his legs. head hiding, cheek pressed agaisnt your stomach. you started softly undoing his braid.

"i won't leave you, jiho" you said, his hair falling loose on his shoulders. "i don't know what's going through your head but… you don''t have to prove anything to me by winning those matches"

you heard a sharp sob, and something told you that you just hit the exact spot.

"no, i do. who am i if… if i can't win shit? i don't want you to think of me as weak, both physically and just… a weak man, unworthy of you and your love"

you felt a sharp pang in your heart, fingers running through is locks in a comforting motion.

"jiho."

your hands traveled won to his face, gently grabbing it and forcing him to look at you. his bruised face and tear-filled eyes made your heart rip in half.

"no matter the scores in your career i will love you for you. not your losses, not your wins. if you win a cash prize, we will celebrate, if you get punched in the face, i will take care of it. if you ditch this career path, i will walk with you nonetheless. because you are what i cherish the most" you hummed, caressing his cheek gently. jiho's skin was littered with wounds, hoarse under your touch.

he swallowed hard, hand coming to wipe his tears.

"it's okay to lose and get emotional about it. it will be okay." you reassured him, your finger nudged his lip.

"i love you" he muttered, leg suddenly bouncing nervously. "i'm sorry i- i reacted like this, i'm really sorry"

"it't okay" you repeated and tried to loosen up the mood "let's get you patched up first, okay? i just can't bear myself to look at you like that"

he huffed, rolling his eyes.

"last time you said it made me look sexy"

suddenly, he pulled you in, rolling on the bed. you were towering over him, hair dangling in his face.

"well, now it makes you look like a kicked puppy" you giggled, tucking his hair behind his ear.

jiho stared at you for a while, hands creeping to rest on your hips. he squeezed them gently, expression turning lovesick.

"thank you. for everything" he breathed out.

and with the professional strength of a boxer, he rolled you again, pinning to the bed.

"before you nurse me, can i kiss you?" your fiancé asked, excitement glittering in his chocolate eyes.

"yes, baby. just be careful because the cut—" you were interrupted by his lips on yours, the salty taste of dried blood and your chapstick mixing together.

masterlist <3

your boyfriend almost tripped over his own legs because he rushed too early to take a step while his pants were halfway on. only because he feels like there’s some hidden meaning to your words.

“wanna talk about it, love?” euijoo asked and the mattress dipped under his weight settling down.

“not really. good night, euijoo” your voice is muffled by the duvet.

“hey, no. at least give me a kiss, huh? i missed you like crazy, pretty, and all i see is your… well, technically the back of your head” euijoo joked and stretched his head, still sitting straight.

there was silence.

“did i do something wrong? come on, i’ll die without a kiss from my girl” he whined, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

“i don’t… i don’t feel pretty today” your voice was quiet but still clearly bouncing off the walls due to the comforting silence in the room.

“what?” euijoo couldn’t believe his ears. you, the most beautiful woman he has ever laid eyes on, doesn’t feel pretty today? that’s ridiculous. and heartbreaking.

“so no kiss, sorry. i’ll kiss you as much as you want tomorrow, i don’t want you to look at me now” you said, voice bitter.

“what are you talking about? no, please… you looked so angelic this morning and i bet nothing changed. did anyone tell you something?” be grunted, brows furrowing “i’ll beat them up”

“with respect, you’d lose. no, it’s just… one of the days when i look in the mirror and instantly tear my gaze away” as you spoke, euijoo hated the fact that your back is facing him. that he can’t see you and your adorable face.

“i know” he finally said, voice small “i had those days too. but i promise, you’re so so so beautiful, baby”

there’s a small movement and euijoo laid his hand atop your shoulder.

“can i see you? just for a split second? i missed your pretty face, seriously” euijoo whined.

your chest moved while letting out a deep sigh and you slowly, shyly even, turned around to peek at him through your arm. euijoo’s face instantly lit up, ebony irises scanning your features and a toothy smile showing his pearly whites in a boyish manner.

“ha, i thought so. you’re as stunning as ever. as if not even more beautiful! wanna know why?” he asked, cocking his head to the side. you nod slowly, curious “because you’re lying in my bed, next to me, in our shared home”

“if i give you your goodnight kiss will you lay down and shut up?” you joked, a smile tugging at the corners of your lips. and euijoo saw that a relief washed over you. he nodded dramatically and you sat up, covers falling off your shoulders. pulling him by his shirt to close the distance, his lips almost instinctively landed on yours. the kiss was short but sweet, a form of saying ‘thank you, i love you. i needed to hear that’.

and euijoo felt it, knew it.

wrapping his arms around you and suddenly pulling you back to the lying position, with your head perfectly lying in the crook of his face.

“to me, you could be even covered in ketchup and mustard and you’d still be the prettiest dude ever–” euijoo started, only to be interrupted by the laughter erupting from your chest.

“okay, okay. i got the memo, silly boy” you poke his chest and feel him smiling from above you “same applies to you though…”

masterlist <3

another time happened when no one was around and only after thinking about it at the end of the day, woonhak realised it may have been an indirect kiss.

you were just finishing your makeup, woonhak lying on his bed and scrolling through tiktok.

“are you ready yeeeeet?” he whined. you were going to the movie theather with woonhak and jaehyun so he didn’t understand why’d you care so much. but then again, you always enjoyed putting effort into dressing up – so here you were, putting shiny lip gloss on your pink lips.

woonhak suddenly halted and watched you apply the product, mesmerised. when you were done you smacked your lips and smiled, suddenly catching eye contact with him through the mirror.

“want some?” you asked teasingly, sure he’d reject.

but it was so oily and shiny… and probably smelled nice. and his lips were a bit dry…

“yeah!” he grinned and got up quickly. in no time he was next to you, all giggly.

you put your lip gloss on his lip precisely, smiling softly.

“done! let’s go now, hm?” you tilted your head and moved your gaze back to his eyes, sparkling with joy.

they say third time’s the charm. well, it wasn’t necessarily a charm; quite the opposite: you two were acting so awkward afterwards.

but it definitely made something shift in woonhak.

you were just saying goodbyes after hanging out with the boys. it all happened so quick, woonhak didn’t even realise at first.

you leaned in to place a farewell kiss on his cheek but someone called him, causing him to turn his head. then he felt his lips brush against yours.

“eeek!” you shrieked surprised and leaned away, looking at him in shock.

“–those cool cards! woonhak…?” riwoo asked, not aware what he just did.

leehan shook his head, looking at both of you: cheeks going red, blown pupils, nervous fiddling of fingers.

“yeah, uhm… oh, look! my bus is here! bye, goodnight!” you yelled out in panic and before woonhak could mutter a bye, you were already hopping on the bus.

“what…” he mumbled, touching the corner of his lips.

that’s when he realised.

he has a crush on you.

woonhak tried to play it cool, as if he wasn’t affected by you. two weeks had passed since you accidentally kissed and yet, he couldn’t help but replay the memory in his head. he was more nervous and sensitive around you, which you tried to ignore.

trying to think of an excuse to ease up the tension, you bought some sweets and went to visit them.

they were playing games and because it was woonhak’s turn, jaehyun opened the door for you. you could see how the younger one tensed a bit once he realized you’re here. jaehyun noticed a sad glint in your eye but didn't react.

"i brought something sweet!" you called, causing riwoo and taesan to turn around with curiosity.

unpacking the sweets, woonhak’s turn ended. taesan, leehan and riwoo who were playing with him joined you.

"do you have chips? or donuts? leehan ate mine yesterday" riwoo asked, sticking his head between your and sungho’s arm. you giggled, shaking your head.

"nope, sorry. i can go grab some quickly if you want” you hummed and caught woonhak’s ebony eyes on you.

"okay, that’s great! you can grab some coke while you’re at it–" jaehyun grinned and woonhak smacked him gently.

"i’ll go with you" he said softly, the boys exchanging looks. you nodded and grabbed the empty bag, going towards the door.

taesan wanted to chime in that he’ll go too but jaehyun put a hand over his mouth just in time.

"we’ll be back in a moment" you called and woonhak closed the door.

the walk to the store was quite awkward. hands in pockets, woonhak strangely didn’t speak – and you didn’t either, sensing weird atmosphere between you two.

you grabbed the stuff the boys wanted and some matcha-flavored pocky for yourself.

"i’ll pay" were the first words that woonhak said, voice stern but soft. you didn’t even have the chance to argue because he already put his credit card to the reader, grabbing the bag.

you huffed and grabbed the pocky, opening it. focused on grabbing the sweets carefully, not to break them, you didn’t notice it was pouring outside.

"y/n" woonhak called when you put one in your mouth. just in time he put his hand in front of you, preventing you from stepping right in the rain.

you looked at him, eyes wide. woonhak cursed mentally at how cute you were right now–

"oh, right. my bad" you mumbled and stepped back, squeezing himself next to him "what do we do now?"

you munched on the pocky and shook your head. woonhak looked at you, tightening his lips.

"we wait" he mumbled, palms sweating. he hated this. why it all feels so stiff and different?

"you want some?" you asked, pointing at the pocky.

woonhak wasn’t thinking clear.

he leaned in and took a bite of the pocky that you held between your lips instead of taking one of the box.

eyes widening and blood rushing to your cheeks at the sudden proximity. woonhak realized what he was doing and saw your reaction. leaning away with a gasp and face as red as the can of cola he grabbed for jaehyun.

"y– i’m… well, i didn’t– wh…" he stuttered.

"if you wanted to kiss me you just could’ve said so" you scoffed and he realized something: you were totally serious.

chewing on the pocky, you stuck your gaze at the droplets falling on the pavement.

"i don’t know what’s going on with you lately but… if i did anything wrong, i’m sorry" your voice was so quiet that he almost didn’t hear you.

"no! i mean… no, you didn’t. it’s just that… i think i like you, like… like like you more than a friend" woonhak was stuttering over his own words, his stomach turning into a tight knot out of anxiety. he shouldn’t have said this... or even done this in the first place. he just ruined your whole friendship, didn’t he?

for a moment you both stared at the rainfalls dripping from the small awning above you. the soothing sound made you forget about what he just said.

"wait, you like me?" you yelped, turning around at him. you almost dropped the pocky box "i like you too!"

"huh?" he tilted his head, blinking in surprise.

"i’m sorry hak but you’re so oblivious. i… i’ve been giving you signs… i think” you mumbled and saw him shake his head "the coffee shop? the lipstick? and…"

"oh" his eyebrows shot up "i… i didn't realise… can i kiss you properly now?"

"yes, please" you murmured. woonhak stepped closer and put the shopping bag on the floor, taking the pocky from your hands. putting it in the bag, you two looked at each other with flushed cheeks.

then, he cupped your cheeks gently. his hands were cold but you didn’t mind. the beautiful ebony eyes of his scanned your face for a while before he finally leaned in, plush lips landing on yours.

the faint taste of the sweetness lingered on your lips, and woonhak was melting. he felt like he was on cloud nine, the kiss gentle and tender. suddenly, he felt your hands sneaking around his waist. when the lack of oxygen started to hit you, the boy pulled away. he looked like an excited puppy, eyes sparkling.

"can we do that more often?" he hummed, lips forming into a mischievous smirk.

"we can if we’re making it official" you teased, nudging his arm. he nodded and grabbed the bag.

"i’d be more than happy to do so" woonhak said, not able to resist his smile and excitement in his voice "let’s just… don’t tell the boys yet"

you nodded and quickly pecked his lips before sneaking a hand into his.

"let’s go back then, they’ll get suspicious" you nodded. woonhak intertwined his fingers with yours, giving your hand a gentle squeeze.

when you came back at the dorms, sungho, leehan, and riwoo only noticed your wet hair and dripping clothes. jaehyun and taesan though saw the way your eyes glimmered when you looked at each other and the pretty pink shade of your cheeks.

masterlist <3